This rainbow fruit platter with cream cheese dip is a fun and festive way to add color and cheer to any celebration! 🏳️‍🌈 It’s visually stunning and packed with nutrition. It’s easy to put together and can be made ahead of time. The dip can be traditionally made with powdered sugar or naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup.

This simple yet colorful dish can elevate any gathering, whether it’s a birthday party, picnic, or really, any kind of get-together!

A rainbow fruit plate is a crowd-pleaser, appealing to both kids and adults and a great way to ensure that there are healthy, allergy-friendly snacks available that practically everyone will love.

Alternative fruits for each color

I chose the fruit based on color (I wanted a vivid rainbow!) and our preferences. Here are some great alternatives for each color.

Red

Strawberries, with their deep red hue, are the best choice for the red arc of the rainbow. If they don’t work for you, here are some other ideas.

Raspberries – these are more pink than red, but I see some people using them in place of red. If you’d like to add a pink arc to your rainbow, you can make it the very first or last arc of the rainbow. If using a 12″ (30.5 cm) lazy susan like I did, you’ll be able to squeeze in about six raspberries right in the center. If you want it to be the first arc, then your strawberry arc will just have to be a tiny bit more narrow. But it’s doable!
Watermelon – same as above!
Pomegranate seeds – this sounds messy, but people shouldn’t be grabbing at the fruit with their hands, anyway. If you’d like to use these, I’d just sprinkle them over the strawberries rather than trying to make the whole red section out of pomegranate seeds.
Blood oranges – sliced into segments so that the bright flesh is showing.

Orange

I chose goldenberries because I like how simple they are to prepare. You just wash them! And they look fantastic. But they can be hard to find.

I wrote about where you can find them below. In case you can’t locate any, here are some other options.

Mandarin oranges
Mango
Cantaloupe

Yellow

I chose pineapple because of how bright the chunks are, and it seems like everyone loves it. But they’re a pain to cut! You could alternatively use:

Bananas – although I think this one has a kind of sad color.
Yellow peaches
Starfruit

Green

Green kiwi slices contrast beautifully, but in case someone doesn’t like them, you can try:

Green grapes
Honeydew melon
Green apple slices

Blue

Blueberries are the easiest option, but you can also do any of these.

Blackberries
Plums (blue varieties)
Concord grapes

Purple

If there are kids around, I’d definitely go with purple grapes. I just don’t see kids loving any of the below options, but maybe I’m wrong.

Black currants
Figs
Elderberries

What are goldenberries?!

Goldenberries, also known as Physalis peruviana, cape gooseberries, or Inca berries, are a type of small, round fruit encased in a papery husk that is easy to pull off. They have a tart, tangy flavor with a hint of sweetness and are rich in vitamins A, C, and antioxidants. They’re often used in fruit salads, desserts, jams, and even savory dishes.

Larger grocery store chains often carry goldenberries in the produce section. They might be more readily available during certain seasons, typically from late spring to early fall.

Here are some of the US chains confirmed to sometimes carry goldenberries.

Whole Foods Market often carries goldenberries, both fresh and dried.
Trader Joe’s occasionally stocks goldenberries, particularly dried ones.
Sprouts Farmers Market often carries goldenberries, especially during their peak season.
Wegmans, primarily located in the Northeast, offers a variety of fresh produce, including goldenberries.
Publix is located primarily in the Southeastern United States and sometimes stocks goldenberries.
Safeway, Kroger and H-E-B, particularly the stores with a more extensive produce section, sometimes carry goldenberries.
Stores specializing in Latin American or Asian foods might carry goldenberries, as they are commonly used in these cuisines.

And if you happen to live in Germany, we usually get ours at Aldi or Lidl.

How to cut the fruit

You want all of the chunks to be as similar in size as possible. Cubes are best and will keep the arcs nice and uniform.

Out of the fruit I used, strawberries were the only fruit that couldn’t be easily cut into chunks. For those, you can halve or quarter them.

It’ll depend on the size of your strawberries.

Preventing browning

While it’s particularly effective in preventing the browning of apples and bananas, lemon juice can also slow down the oxidation process in other fruit, keeping it vibrant for a longer time.

Simply toss the cut fruit in a bowl with a bit of lemon juice.

If you’re serving this the day of making, I don’t think it’s necessary. But if you’d like to make it in advance, it’s probably a good idea.

If using an apple or banana, it’s necessary, even if serving immediately – if it’s going to sit out for a bit. If you’re bringing this out as a dessert for your family to eat right away, you can, of course, skip the juice.

If it’s for a party or something where it’ll sit out for a few hours, go ahead and use the lemon juice.

How to make the rainbow

You can just free-style the rainbow on a large serving tray or cutting board, but for me, that was a little difficult. My photographer got the white marble lazy susan you see in the photos from World Market, and it’s the perfect guide and size for a rainbow fruit platter.

The lazy susan is 12″ (30.5 cm), and the amounts of fruit given in the recipe are for a rainbow that fit on there perfectly. If you make a larger rainbow, you’ll need more fruit.

Fruit dip

This stuff is the best! I used it in my Red White and Blue Cheesecake Salad and thought it’d make an amazing dip for this fruit rainbow.

It’s like a lightened-up cream cheese frosting and is made in one bowl. When it’s time to create the rainbow, you put the dip in two little bowls at the ends of the rainbow to create clouds.

I have to admit that we all liked the dip so much that we wanted to eat the fruit plain and then eat the dip plain. 😆

You can use powdered sugar, honey or maple syrup. Powdered sugar tastes the most traditional, but maple syrup was surprisingly tasty.

It didn’t make the dip too thin, and the added maple flavor fits the fruit perfectly. The honey version wasn’t thin, either, but it tasted strongly of honey. We much preferred the dip with maple syrup.

Make in advance

If you’d like to prepare the fruit ahead of time, you can wash, peel, and chop the fruit and refrigerate it in airtight containers up to one day in advance. This reduces prep time on the day of serving. Keep in mind the lemon juice tip I talked about above.

If you’re really pressed for time, you can opt for pre-sliced fruit from the grocery store, even though it might be quite a bit more expensive.

You can arrange the fruit platter the day before serving. Covering it tightly with plastic wrap keeps the fruits fresh.

I wouldn’t prepare it more than a day in advance. And if using apple or banana, even if you toss them with lemon juice, I would still recommend cutting and adding those as close to serving as possible.

What to do with leftovers

If you have any fruit left over after serving, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This prevents air exposure, minimizes browning, and maintains moisture.

Leftover fruit can be creatively repurposed in several ways. Turning them into a fruit cocktail is a great option.

Blending leftover fruit into smoothies can provide a nutritious and refreshing beverage. Alternatively, freezing the fruit pieces makes them perfect for future use in baking, ice cream, or as a topping for cereal and yogurt.

Nutrition

A rainbow fruit platter is a fresh and vibrant way to pack a variety of essential nutrients into your diet. Each type of fruit contributes unique health benefits that can support overall well-being and balanced eating.

Fresh fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. For example, oranges are rich in vitamin C, which boosts immunity. Berries contain powerful antioxidants that can help reduce inflammation. Bananas provide potassium, which is crucial for heart health.

Each color in the rainbow fruit platter represents different phytonutrients that offer distinct health advantages, making it a great choice for maintaining a healthy diet.

Allergies

If serving this to company, it’s a good idea to ask if anyone has any fruit allergies. Kiwi allergies are pretty common, especially among kids, and I seem to know an awful lot of people who are allergic to pineapple.

If you think they can simply not eat the kiwi and eat the rest, that’s not how it works. If there’s kiwi on the platter and they have a kiwi allergy, they won’t be able to eat anything on the platter.

I have some fruit allergies, and should some of that fruit be on a platter, I wouldn’t think twice about it. Adults can handle it. But let’s not be cruel to the kids. 😆

This fruit rainbow is supposed to be a happy and fun thing, and given how many different fruit options there are for every color, there’s really no need for any kid to miss out on the fun.

Making it even more kid-friendly

Want to get the kids involved? Use small cookie cutters to shape the fruit into stars, hearts, and other fun shapes. And I can say from experience that kids at parties love star-shaped fruit!

It works especially great with pineapple, large strawberries, watermelon other types of melon. It’d be hard to place those on the rainbow, but you can put them near the rainbow. This is also a great idea if you have any fruit left over after making the rainbow!

I hope you’ll enjoy the rainbow fruit plate. I’d love to hear how it works out if you try it!

5 from 9 votes